Overview
- Wild Hornets said the Darknode battalion of Kyiv's 412th Nemesis Brigade used its Sting interceptor to shoot down a Russian Shahed carrying an R-60 air-to-air missile.
- The company told Business Insider this was the first engagement in which a Sting downed a Shahed-type drone fitted with an air-to-air missile.
- Ukrainian expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov reported the first detected instance of an R-60 mounted on a Shahed and posted imagery of the wreckage.
- Business Insider said it could not independently verify the shared photos and video, and Russia did not respond to requests for comment.
- Observers say the configuration is intended to threaten Ukrainian aircraft used to intercept drones, though there are no confirmed cases of Shaheds shooting down Ukrainian aircraft.